A key women’s flyweight bout is the latest addition to Bellator 290.
Undefeated [autotag]Diana Avsaragova[/autotag] will face the toughest test of her career when she meets former title challenger [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] on Feb. 4 at The Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Two people with knowledge of the situation, including a Bellator official, informed MMA Junkie of the fight booking Tuesday.
Avsaragova (5-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) and Lara (9-6 MMA, 3-5 BMMA) have been on different career trajectories of late.
Avsaragova, 24, made her Bellator debut in 2021 and has won all three of her promotional bouts, including a knockout in her debut and two decisions. The Russian most recently defeated Kyra Batara by unanimous decision last March at Bellator 276.
Lara, 28, represents Avsaragova’s biggest opportunity of her career. At one point, Lara was 7-1 and challenged then-champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane for the 125-pound title in 2018. She lost that bout by submission, which kickstarted a downswing in her career as she’s dropped five of her past seven bouts, including a three-fight skid. The Colombian most recently lost a unanimous decision to Ilara Joanne this past June at Bellator 282.
despite a three-fight losing streak
Below is the updated Bellator 290 lineup:
- Champ Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko – for heavyweight title
- Champ Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero – for light heavyweight title
- Sabah Homasi vs. Brennan Ward
- Ethan Hughes vs. Yusuf Karakaya
- Diana Avsaragova vs. Alejandra Lara
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.